It Would Be A Crime To Give Up
by Fire The Canon
Summary: Molly has been in love with one boy from the moment she met him, but it was her cousin that one his heart. Molly will keep fighting, though, and she will never give up. Never!


_**Written for R8 of the Quidditch League (Molly Weasley II)**_

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 **It Would Be A Crime To Give Up**

There was no one Molly hated more than her cousin Rose.

She hated the way she flaunted her obvious brightness to the rest of Hogwarts. Everybody knew she was smart; there was no need for her to flaunt it like she was the only one. Molly was smart, too… just not like Rose.

She hated that Rose was so cherished. Not just at school, but within the family as well. Rose was the perfect child: innocent and sweet; charming; a Gryffindor. Everything Molly wasn't.

She also hated that she was referred to as 'Rose's cousin'. She had a name, you know! It was Molly Frederica Weasley. Not as cute as Rose Nymphadora Weasley, but it was still her name and she would prefer if people used it.

Most of all, however, Molly hated the fact that the moment Rose had walked through those doors and sat on the stool with the overly-large hat on her head, she had caught the attention of a bony, pale-faced boy who would later be sorted into Slytherin.

He, too, was charming and sweet, and talented. He, too, had a reputation by just his name. He was everything Molly had dreamt of in someone, except for the fact that he have no hide nor hair of her existence. No, from the moment he'd seen the innocent red-haired girl on that stool he had chosen her, and nothing Molly could do would change his mind.

No matter how hard she tried.

"Er, I was wondering if you would like to, uh, go to the –"

"Rose!"

Molly turned around, red-faced and fuming, as the boy who had just stood in front of her was now storming towards her cousin, almost determined to crash-tackle her. Had he even realised she was talking to him, or was she actually invisible?

Rose, who had been heading into the Great Hall for breakfast, stopped and smiled at the handsome Scorpius Malfoy. She even had the dignity to blush slightly, which infuriated Molly even more. The boy was head-over-heels for her, and she took a fancy to him, too. The only reason they weren't snogging in the library was because – despite the appearance he gave – Malfoy lacked the balls to make the next move. Rose was simply too sweet to even think about it.

From someone who had been confidently standing in front of Molly a moment ago, it almost appeared as if Scorpius' legs were going to give way. Molly had to admit that Rose did look rather nice today, but it gave him no right to turn into a puddle of goo when she was around.

"Hi, Scorpius," Rose said sweetly.

Scorpius appeared not to have heard her, he was focused on what Molly knew was coming next. "R-Rose, I was wondering… w-would y-you like to dance, I mean go to the Christmas Eve ball with me?"

Both fourth years were blushing like beetroots now, as others walked past, muttering that it was _about time._

"Scorpius, I, well, yes, I would like to."

The grin on the boy's face was too much for Molly to handle. Hiding the tears in her eyes, she brushed past and into the Hall without a word. A quick glance back showed that neither of them had noticed.

Well, she supposed she wouldn't be attending the ball now.

…

It wasn't until a year later did she realise how truly in love with him she was. It had just been a crush before, but now it was something much, much more. Her whole body ached for him, not just her heart. She longed to feel his lips against hers, to hear those three words whispered to her, not her cousin. She wanted him and no one else.

She loved him.

"If we weren't so young, Rosie, I'd ask you to marry me here and now."

A tear trickled down her cheek as she laid awake in a bedroom at the Burrow. The walls were thin there, and while Lucy slept soundly in the bed beside hers, she could hear every word the couple next door were saying. She could hear the kisses he gave her, and the gasping as his hands no doubt explored her body. The pillow wasn't enough to block the sound of the sheets ruffling as they fully engaged in an act of love (or lust, as Molly liked to tell herself – it was just a phase; they weren't really in love).

Why had it happened like that? How had it happened? How could it be that he was completely captivated by Rose, and barely knew of Molly's existence? How had she been so unlucky, and Rose so lucky?

It just wasn't fair.

…

This time he really had asked her to marry him. Molly was invited to the celebration. She went, of course, but grudgingly.

Lucy threw an arm across her shoulders. "You're brave for coming," she said.

"I don't know what you're talking about," Molly lied, for she had told no one – not even her sister, her best friend – of her feelings. Speaking of them would have been too painful.

"You don't think I ever noticed all those nights we shared a room and you would cry yourself to sleep? You say his name, you know? When you sleep."

Molly tried her best to appear innocent, but failed. A tear rolled down her cheek. And then another, and another. Before long she was in a flood of tears.

"Come with me," Lucy said, guiding the young woman outside to where it was quieter.

"I feel so stupid!" Molly cried as her sister embraced her. "I thought I would be over this stupid Hogwarts crush phase by now. I thought… I thought the pain would go away, there would be someone else, but…."

"You love him," Lucy finished.

Molly only nodded. "I can't help it."

"It's okay, Molly, we've all been there before. It only makes us stronger."

Molly shook in her sister's arms. "I just wish for once that… that he'll notice me… that he'll love me."

Lucy held Molly tighter. "I know," she soothed. "I know."

…

"I'm sorry."

Molly stood before her cousin, tears rolling down the other woman's face. There was a silence between the two as they looked back and forth. Eventually, Rose shook her head.

"Thanks," she said. "It was destined to fail. Everything was against us."

Molly swallowed hard. How long could she keep this pretence up for?

"You were good together," she stated after a moment.

Rose smiled, shaking her head. "Yeah, for a while, but it wasn't meant to be, I suppose."

Molly nodded, turning to leave. There was nothing but joy inside her heart as she walked away.

She had waited for years for this moment – for his heart to no longer beat for Rose's – and although she was almost twenty-two, she now had a chance.

As her cousin's tears continued, Molly's joy increased. She never had liked Rose, because she had captivated the boy who she had fallen in love with the moment she had seen him. Now, however, things had changed.

Now, it was going to be her turn.

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 _ **I hope you enjoyed this! Please let me know your thoughts!  
**_


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